A family comes together to form a caregiving committee when Dad needed help.

Sharing stories of caregiving help me care for my Mom better. Connecting with another podcaster who recently lost his Grandmother was eye opening. When his Grandfather threw up the white flag his extended family came together. They formed a “committee” to help him find a care community. The Committee is their term for how their family handled the challenges of helping care for their loved one.

One challenge that families face is the past dynamic of each relationship. Listening to how this family set up a caregiving committee shines a spotlight on the best way to navigate these dynamics. Asking each person what they are comfortable doing and not asking for more makes it easier for each person to help.

Caregiving roles vary with each person. The diversity of families adds to the challenge of caring for a loved one with memory loss. Allowing each family member to participate in a way that they are comfortable can help avoid the situation where most of the care is handled by one person.

Caregiving Roles

Caregiving tasks cover a wide range of responsibilities. Asking who is comfortable with housekeeping, errands, or making doctors appointments can help share the burden. Tasks like helping with showering and dressing or transferring them in and out of bed may alleviate becoming physically overwhelmed. A task as simple as being the designated “on-call” person for emergencies is a simple way someone can participate in caregiving.

Something a simple as driving them to medical appointments & the pharmacy allows a primary caregiver to have a break. This also isn’t a task that takes up a lot of time generally. Do you have a family member who is good at speaking to and coordinating with medical professionals?

Setting up your own caregiving committee doesn’t have to be difficult. Start by writing down what needs to be done then ask who feels comfortable doing which task. Listen to this episode for inspiration!